Janis was and still is a breath of fresh air. A poet, philosopher and musician who was wise beyond her years. Please keep writing and singing. We love you.
She wrote that damn first song at 13. That's just amazing. And she had the complexity and Theory of Mind insight to not give it a happy ever after ending. Stunning element for a 13-year-old to put into a song.
About 10 years ago. I started humming this at work... by the time I got 1/4 of the way onto it... about 2 dozen people were singing words out loud... took me by surprise. men and women mixed races... but all Baby Boomers...
OK well for opening comments I just re-watched the RUclips recording of her Society's Child Smothers Brothers Show performance and I sure as hell didn't see any ugly duckling there! When I first heard that one on the radio around then (mid '67) I was just eighteen and could have gone for someone with half her beauty and brains. But nerdy guys like me had to settle for stag clubs and hobbies while the musclebound jocks walked away with the campus queens. I guess it's just a matter of taste but I know real beauty when I see it. So glad I finally got to see a live performance. Well worth the wait.
At Seventeen was the most gut-wrenching description of the teenage years I had ever heard and until Tracy Chapman came along with Fast Car, I thought those kind of songs had disappeared. I own several of Janis's albums and love to put them all on when I am in an introspective mood. Wonderful artist, incredible life. The book is great, by the way.
This was the first song that hit me with such impact (I think I was about 12), that it gave me the moral and emotional compass to navigate the rest of my life. I'm now 68. Thank you Janis!
remember hearing her on WOR-FM in NYC(fm radio was 1st starting)It was on Murray the K's show.This song was a big thing at the time.I had forgotten Janis until I heard 17 on a reaction channel,gave me goose bumps.WOW
OMG, such a treat to watch and listen to her perform live. Her voice and those lyrics - esp to Society's Child and At Seventeen - are beautifully and perfectly paired.
After all these years...Her voice is exactly the same! "Society Child"...was a intriguing melody, lyrics and a wonderful vocals! "At Seventeen"...brutaly honest! Beautifuly done! Love you Janis!!
I know Janis wouldn't want to hear this but I always looked up & admired her. She seems so approachable & friendly here. She's 1 of the people on my " people I want to meet" bucket list. I always knew she was cool and this video proves it. Love you Janis. You're in my heart & soul. Always 🎇
I was 16 when Society's Child came out on the radio. Back then it was so unheard of relating to an inter racial relationship that a lot of radio stations actually banned it. This song was ahead of it's time in my opinion. I still listen to it every now & then. Thank you Janis Ian.
janis ian is genius incarnate unparalleled artistry soothing to our souls when no one else can a brilliant composition for every conceivable mood. Don't know how heather and i could have survived this long without her. marilynm. "truth is not the enemy" janis ian
I stumbled on this video, following a reference from another song. I loved her voice and soul back in the day. Poetry not often found -- beautiful and accessible by most of us. Looking forward to her US tour. .
a deep message with heart and soul. felt since i first heard it until now. you and those you sing about are the most beautiful people at 17 or 87........ always, in spirit and music, royal hartigan
STILL THAT GOLDEN VOICE , COMBINED WITH "KILLER" LYRICS & GUITAR PLAYING". YESTERDAYS SUPER STAR, GROUND BREAKER, TODAY SHOULD BE RE-ELEVATED TO HER " THRONE"
I met my first girlfriend in College in 1969. I'm Japanese American and she was White. I grew up in a predominately Hispanic neighborhood, Boyle Heights. She grew up in the San Fernando Valley which was mostly White at the time. The first time her mother saw me, she said "Quick! Get him into the backyard before the neighbors see". After a few months, her mother threw an empty milk bottle at her and said, "I rather see you die in a car accident than go out with him!". Finally, her mother put her foot down and told her she wasn't allowed to see me anymore. My girlfriend told her father what her mother had said. The father told his wife, his daughter could go out with anyone who made her happy. The father was a WWII veteran that had been captured on Bataan and spend the war in a Japanese prison camp in Japan.
Experienced her live in 2002, because it was just that, an experience. I even got to spend some time with her after the show. It was like sitting down with an old friend! A consummate performer!
OMG!!! Soul-stirring! So so so SPECIAL! You sound absolutely amazing! What an incredible talent and so courageous at such a young age! LOVE to you ALWAYS Janis Ian! xoxo
She is a "TRUE" artist. A legendary composer, singer. I think she's a good actress also. She inhabits her songs like an actor. So look forward to seeing her in concert this FRIDAY, 4/5/13!!!!
FA Barragan I was thinking the same thing. She really does look matronly - a far cry from her 16 year old self. I also recall listening to Society's Child on the radio. Hard to believe that we are not that far apart in age.
Karensimaginarium: Not all 64 year olds look the same. These days, more and more, the boomers are choosing to try and look forever young. Some of the 60+ look as if they are in their 40's. It was simply an observation, not an indictment.
+Danielle Radicanin She has beautiful skin and could easily look younger with haircolor. Nice to see a person choosing to look authentic physically. She could choose differently tomorrow.
As a child she admired the work of folk pioneers such as Joan Baez and Odetta. Starting with piano lessons at the age of six or seven, Ian, by the time she entered her teens, had learned the organ, harpsichord, French horn, flute and guitar.
I very much agree that this woman is a national treasure and incredibly underrated.
Classic! Janis you've still got it! Cheers ~
The lady has lost nothing over the years - amazingly powerful performance!!!!
"Never half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing."
Janis was and still is a breath of fresh air. A poet, philosopher and musician who was wise beyond her years. Please keep writing and singing. We love you.
I love you forever and beyond and thank you..😘😘❤️❤️👍👍👍🙏🙏☮️☮️☮️
She wrote that damn first song at 13. That's just amazing. And she had the complexity and Theory of Mind insight to not give it a happy ever after ending. Stunning element for a 13-year-old to put into a song.
About 10 years ago. I started humming this at work... by the time I got 1/4 of the way onto it... about 2 dozen people were singing words out loud... took me by surprise. men and women mixed races... but all Baby Boomers...
OK well for opening comments I just re-watched the RUclips recording of her Society's Child Smothers Brothers Show performance and I sure as hell didn't see any ugly duckling there! When I first heard that one on the radio around then (mid '67) I was just eighteen and could have gone for someone with half her beauty and brains. But nerdy guys like me had to settle for stag clubs and hobbies while the musclebound jocks walked away with the campus queens. I guess it's just a matter of taste but I know real beauty when I see it. So glad I finally got to see a live performance. Well worth the wait.
damn, she still sounds amazing!
At Seventeen was the most gut-wrenching description of the teenage years I had ever heard and until Tracy Chapman came along with Fast Car, I thought those kind of songs had disappeared. I own several of Janis's albums and love to put them all on when I am in an introspective mood. Wonderful artist, incredible life. The book is great, by the way.
Beautiful song. Beautiful human.
This was the first song that hit me with such impact (I think I was about 12), that it gave me the moral and emotional compass to navigate the rest of my life. I'm now 68. Thank you Janis!
I have admired this woman since I was 14 and heard Society's Child the first time
Love you Janis ~ thanks for all your great songs. 🎶🖤🎤
She did it live! She is a real singer/songwriter/guitarist!
remember hearing her on WOR-FM in NYC(fm radio was 1st starting)It was on Murray the K's show.This song was a big thing at the time.I had forgotten Janis until I heard 17 on a reaction channel,gave me goose bumps.WOW
Omg! Autobiography? Sooo great..😂😂🙄and funny
When she sang this song, this time, it brought me to tears. There was so much feeling and pain in her voice.
yeah...timeless. this one is on God's iPod for sure.
Thank you, thank you, Janis, for your wonderful voice, your soul. Your book is magnificent.
It's almost better now that she's older. I love it! I am sixty nine and grew up with her.
OMG, such a treat to watch and listen to her perform live. Her voice and those lyrics - esp to Society's Child and At Seventeen - are beautifully and perfectly paired.
Janis Ian has been the soundtrack to my life...then AND, especially, now!
I still have the 45 of Societys Child that I bought as a young girl at Sam Goody.She still sounds great-very talented. Her music touches the soul.
Janis is so wonderful..........I've loved her work since I first heard "Society's Child" decades ago..........her music, lyrics are a treasure
Her voice is still fantastic.
Beautiful. She brings this amazing song to life with all the verve of the studio version by just her voice and guitar. What a touching performance.
After all these years...Her voice is exactly the same!
"Society Child"...was a intriguing melody, lyrics and a wonderful vocals!
"At Seventeen"...brutaly honest! Beautifuly done!
Love you Janis!!
I know Janis wouldn't want to hear this but I always looked up & admired her. She seems so approachable & friendly here. She's 1 of the people on my " people I want to meet" bucket list. I always knew she was cool and this video proves it. Love you Janis. You're in my heart & soul. Always 🎇
I was 16 when Society's Child came out on the radio. Back then it was so unheard of relating to an inter racial relationship that a lot of radio stations actually banned it. This song was ahead of it's time in my opinion. I still listen to it every now & then. Thank you Janis Ian.
janis ian is genius incarnate
unparalleled artistry
soothing to our souls when no one else can
a brilliant composition for every conceivable mood.
Don't know how heather and i could have survived this long without her. marilynm.
"truth is not the enemy" janis ian
you changed my life. don't be so humble. changed the lives of many women and girls. still amazing after all these years.
I stumbled on this video, following a reference from another song. I loved her voice and soul back in the day. Poetry not often found -- beautiful and accessible by most of us. Looking forward to her US tour. .
a deep message with heart and soul. felt since i first heard it until now. you and those you sing about are the most beautiful people at 17 or 87........
always, in spirit and music,
royal hartigan
A true talent! Almost better just to hear her with nothing but the guitar to accompany her. Her voice still is just right there.
What a true shining star she is.
WHAT A GIRL! SHE'S THE SAME AGE AS ME- LOVED HER SONGS THEN , AND NOW... THANKS FOR THE POST...
Janis's voice and her music move me just as much now and they did when she performed these songs the first time, so many year ago. Always yours.
She still sings great, and plays guitar fantastic!!
Again to go Janis!!
Absolutely
Never stopped loving your words and music!
STILL THAT GOLDEN VOICE , COMBINED WITH "KILLER" LYRICS & GUITAR PLAYING". YESTERDAYS SUPER STAR, GROUND BREAKER, TODAY SHOULD BE RE-ELEVATED TO HER " THRONE"
THanks for the Beautiful Music Janis Ian .....Looking forward to SOCIETY"S CHILD Biography!
What a spectacular artist, songwriter, musician!
i just finished listening to her autobiography, and fell in love with her all over again.
societys child still holds strong today she a great singer
I think her voice is even more beautiful and amazing. love her. loved her always.
I met my first girlfriend in College in 1969. I'm Japanese American and she was White. I grew up in a predominately Hispanic neighborhood, Boyle Heights. She grew up in the San Fernando Valley which was mostly White at the time. The first time her mother saw me, she said "Quick! Get him into the backyard before the neighbors see". After a few months, her mother threw an empty milk bottle at her and said, "I rather see you die in a car accident than go out with him!". Finally, her mother put her foot down and told her she wasn't allowed to see me anymore. My girlfriend told her father what her mother had said. The father told his wife, his daughter could go out with anyone who made her happy. The father was a WWII veteran that had been captured on Bataan and spend the war in a Japanese prison camp in Japan.
Rick Uyeda Great story!
That’s an incredible story! Thank you so much for sharing ： ）
thank you for sharing
That’s a truly inspiring story. Those prison camps were more brutal than most . Admire her father so much
She hasn't lost a step -- her voice might even be better now than it was when she was a teenager. Amazing,
Love Janis, so good to see her again! What a great talent.
I love you and this song, I live right across the way where i graduated from 8th graded when your song came out., june 1967... Bless you sweetie....
Fabulous to listen to even after all these years. High school favorite.
Janis Ian is a great songwriter and she's still looks amazing. She's a super talented lady. Love this song
Now I get it! What a dope I been. I should have been listening to Janis Ians music or interviews. Not to mention her guitar skill.
I loved her songs then, and I still love them today. Bravo Janis!
Experienced her live in 2002, because it was just that, an experience. I even got to spend some time with her after the show. It was like sitting down with an old friend! A consummate performer!
i like the way she speaks. so clear and concise...
OMG!!! Soul-stirring! So so so SPECIAL! You sound absolutely amazing! What an incredible talent and so courageous at such a young age! LOVE to you ALWAYS Janis Ian! xoxo
Still gives me chills.........
One of.my very favorite.. 💕🌹
She is a "TRUE" artist. A legendary composer, singer.
I think she's a good actress also. She inhabits her songs like an actor.
So look forward to seeing her in concert this FRIDAY, 4/5/13!!!!
She is simply awesome and lovely
Love her to death
Right on!
Just amazing. Janis Ian is one of my all time heroes!
You still have it. Brilliant. Love you.
Sounds even better than from when I first heard her. Fantastic live performance!
She's just so amazing... cool and awesome
I haven't heard this gem in quite some time but for some reason it was in my head today. Thanks Janis for bringing us this and to whomever posted.
She still has it and still headstrong,loved that song in 8th grade, still relevant in many places and to that way of thinking. Go janis
Love you, Janis Ian! Always have.
Imagine going into the studio and witnessing Janis putting these down perfectly in one take.
'At 17' really touched me, and it's great to see her doing so well now. Awesome.
Wow she still sound great singing At Seventeen. How I love that song.
Marvelous! What a voice.
Thank you so much for posting this, it was truly awesome!
Have nothing from this lady in my collection,yet have enjoyed her when I hear her. Not often though.x
I love Janis, always have.
That's real talent, real singing
So wonderful. So funny, so humble, yet to me she is a National Treasure.
I wore out many of her record albums. she is truly amazing and haunting
Breath taking....
Brilliant woman. Love her humour too.
+eleniki I love her laugh! I've heard it often!
Beautiful always touches my heart
Brilliant.
Wow, her voice is still so great.
Wow. Janis looks like a grandma, but then it has been about 47 years since I remember hearing this on the AM radio!
FA Barragan
I was thinking the same thing. She really does look matronly - a far cry from her 16 year old self. I also recall listening to Society's Child on the radio. Hard to believe that we are not that far apart in age.
KarensImaginarium Just a simple observation Miss!
Karensimaginarium:
Not all 64 year olds look the same. These days, more and more, the boomers are choosing to try and look forever young. Some of the 60+ look as if they are in their 40's. It was simply an observation, not an indictment.
+Danielle Radicanin 65 looks very, very good on Ms. Ian.
+Danielle Radicanin She has beautiful skin and could easily look younger with haircolor. Nice to see a person choosing to look authentic physically. She could choose differently tomorrow.
Se certainly is an American Treasure. One of my all time favorite songwriters.
she sounds great, and one knows that all she went through as a teen has matured her into a confident still great singer of today. she seems happy now
I got chills !
Very good stuff! Great songs...
Timeless
Beautiful!
this is beautiful.
Makes me think about someone who I lost. I could have never have told my family-the wrong color.
What a good guitarists, too!
As a child she admired the work of folk pioneers such as Joan Baez and Odetta. Starting with piano lessons at the age of six or seven, Ian, by the time she entered her teens, had learned the organ, harpsichord, French horn, flute and guitar.
I feel like I'm 17 again. Me and my girls in High School were huge Janis Ian fans.
Nice little guitar with the big sound, custom neck is a 1/4" wider than most. Makes it easy to play clean fast chords.
Janis is a national treasure!
Happy Birthday, Janis Ian!
Lovely voice
Adore you Janis Ian!
Nice voice. Classic.
She is so lovely :)